Implement retaining device



Oct. 7, 1958 A. ROTH IMPLEMENT RETAINING DEVICE Filed April 20, 1955 FIG. 2

FIG. 1

FIG. 6,

FIG. 3

v INVENTOR.

ADOL PH POT H HWPLEMENT RETAINING DEVICE Adolph Roth, Hudson View Gardens, N. Y., assiguor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, Teterboro, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application April 20, 1955, Serial No. 502,706

4 Claims. (Cl. 211-60) This invention relates to an implement retaining device and more particularly to a device which frictionally engages and retains an implement or tool in a predetermined position.

Many different types and forms of equipment, both mechanical and electrical, require interchangeability of parts and adjustment of certain portions of the device. In order to make the necessary change-over of parts or adjustment of the device, tools are ordinarily employed. In many cases special tools are required that have application only in conjunction with a special piece of apparatus or equipment. Many devices require the same type of tool in different sizes. For example, many mechanical parts are secured on levers and shafts by a set screw having a countersunk or recessed area for receiving a special type of wrench. These tools are provided with the equipment and should be located in a convenient place, so that they may be readily accessible.

Equipment used for multiple purposes must have the tools which are used for adjustment in a definite location;

They must be conveniently positioned, must be easily and quickly removable, and they must be positively retained so that they will remain fixed in the holder under stress of vibration and shock.

While it is customary to provide special tools, it has always been a problem as to where the tools should be located, how they should be retained in their proper places, and a suitable manner of holding the tools in a predetermined position so that the handles thereof will be conveniently positioned to be grasped by an operator.

The tools usualy provided have one end thereof which is shaped to fit a complemental member. For example, many wrenches have a symmetrical elongated body portion with a head on one end. Also, many conventional means are used for tightening screws, nuts, and bolts, and the like, and the tools have a head portion on one end for engaging the head of a nut or the recess of a screw, and the handles of the wrenches may be cross members to permit the operator to obtain a better grip on the wrench. The position of the handle of the wrench is frequently important, particularly when the operator must hold the wrench in a certain position without loss of time and motion in making the adjustment or changing a part of the device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel means for holding an implement.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel means for positionally holding an implement.

Another object is to provide a unitary piece of resilient material having openings therein to positionally hold an implement in a predetermined position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel means having a unitary base with multiple means for holding a multiplicity of implements, each one of which may be independently inserted or removed from said holding means.

A further object is to provide a unitary piece of mate rial having cut-out portions on opposite ends thereof 'nited States Patent ice 2,855,107 Patented Oct. 7, 1958 with said cut-out portions being substantially in alignment whereby an implement is conveniently retained therein.

A further object is to provide a resilient holding means for a tool or the like wherein three tool engaging portions are provided with at least one of said portions being resilient.

The invention contemplates a tool holder which has three points of contact with a tool, with one point of contact being resilient so that the tool will be frictionally held in the holder. Irregular shaped tools, such as Allen wrenches, may have one end thereof inserted through a pair of spaced holes formed in a resilient support with the opposite end of the tool holder having a hook arrangement, so that the resilient portion of the tool frictionally retains the tool in the holder.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, taken together with the accompanying drawings wherein several embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not to be construed as defining the limits of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of Fig. 1 showing a tool positioned in the holding device.

Fig. 3 is a modification of the invention shown in Fig. 1 but designed for holding a multiplicity of tools.

Fig. 4 is a modification of the device shown in conjunction with a tool having a symmetrical, straight body portion and a handle.

Fig. 5 is a modification of the device having the tool engaging portions formed of wire or the like.

Fig. 6 is a modification showing the three tool engaging portions of the holding device formed of flat strip metal.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, there is shown an implement holder 20 having a base portion 21, and an end portion 22 with an elongated slot 23 formed therein and having a communicating slot portion 24 communicating between the elongated slot 23 and an edge 25 of the end portion 22. An end portion 26 is substantially normal to the base 21 and has a C-shaped part 27 formed thereon with opposite legs having holes 28 and 29 in the lower and upper legs of the C-shaped part 27, respectively. Holes 30 formed in the base portion permit screws 31 to be inserted therethrough for holding the base portion onto a supporting structure, such as the side or top inside of a metal cabinet.

In Fig. 2 an implement, shown in the form of an Allen wrench 32, has the short end of the wrench inserted through the holes 28 and 29 in the C-shaped part 27 of the end portion 26.

In operation, the instrument holder as shown in Fig. I normally would have the short end of the Allen wrench inserted through the holes 28 and 29, and after pressure is placed on the opposite or long end of the wrench in the direction shown by the arrow X, the end portion 26 will bend inwardly towards the end portion 22, and the Allen wrench is pressed downwardly until the free end of the wrench is opposite the communicating slot 24. The free end of the wrench is then moved through the slot and into the elongated slot 23 and then released. The inherent resiliency of the implement holder 20, which preferably is made of metal, will tend to return to the position shown in Fig. 1. However, the free end of the wrench which is now engaged in slot 23 will engage the upper portion of the elongated slot 23 with suflicient pressure to frictionally retain the Allen wrench in the position as shown in the drawing. The slots or openings have contours that restrict lateral movement of the wrench once it is secured in place. The Allen wrench has a short portion 33 and a long portion 34 with said portions being at right angles to :each other. The long portion of the wrench is shown spaced from the upper leg 35 of the C-shaped part 27, but the wrench may be moved downwardly until the long portion 34 or the curve of the wrench substantially engages the upper leg 35 of the C-shaped part 27.

Fig. 3 shows a modification of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 3 shows a multiple implement holder 36 which may be secured to an upper inside surface of a cabinet by means of screws such as 31 (Fig. 2), which are inserted through holes 37.

The multiple implement holder in the present instance is shown designed for Allen wrenches and has a base portion 38 having an end portion 39 with a plurality of L-shaped slots, such as 40, formed therein, with an inner opening 41 formed communicating with the vertical slot 42 extending to the horizontal edge of the end portion 39. The opposite end portion 43 has three end portions substantially similar to the end portion 26 shown in Fig. 1, and are provided by cuts or slots 44 and 45 which go substantially from the base portion 38 to the edge 46 of the three portions, 43, 43", and 43" of the end portion 43. The opposed holes formed in each of the C shaped parts of the end portions 43, 43", and 43 are of a size so that each of the independent end portions will receive a wrench which is of a different size than any other wrench to be carried by the multiple implement holder. The L-shaped slots such as 40 formed in the opposite end portion 39 are also of a size suitable for the particular wrench to be used in the respective slots.

In operation the device shown in Fig. 3 will operate substantially as that shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 3 the end portion 39 will not yield appreciably when the long portion of the handle of the wrench is inserted, but each of the respective end portions will be individually yieldable since the multiple implement holder 36 is made preferably of metal and the respective end portions having the two holes therein will be yieldable when the short portion of the wrench is inserted in its respective holes and moved so that the long portion 34 of the wrench may be inserted in its respective slot formed in the end portion 39.

Fig. 4 is a modification of the device shown in Fig. 1, and is a type of implement holder 48 designed for tools having a head portion which may be adapted for engaging a nut, bolt, or the like. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 4, the implement holder 48 has a base portion 49 with an end portion 50 having an L-shaped slot 51 formed therein. The opposite end of the base has a C-shaped part or end portion 52 which has a vertical portion 53 with a slot 54 formed therein communicating with the edge 55, a top portion 56, and a slotted end portion 57 having a slot 58 communicating with the edge 59.

With the arrangement shown in Fig. 4, the metal implement holder 48 may be used with a tool, such as 60, having a head 61 and a handle 62. Normally, when the wrench is not inserted in the holder, the end portion 52 would assume the position shown dotted. To place the implement or tool in the implement holder 48, one portion of the tool would be first inserted in slot 58 from the right side of the implement holder as shown in Fig. 4-. Then the second and third zones of the tool would be moved into slots 54 and 51 as the tool is pressed downwardly and inwardly, thereby bending the end portion to a shape shown solid in Fig. 4. Upon release of the handle 62, after the surfaces of slots 51 and 54 have been properly engaged, the resiliency of the end 52 and the slotted end portions 57 would tend to return to the contour shown dotted, and the handle would be urged upwardly into the notch portion 63 of the L-shaped slot 51.

While a head 61 is shown on the tool 60, it is to be understood that the head portion may assume any contour, such as the head of a spanner wrench.

Figs. 5 shows an implement holder 65 having a base which may be of wood or metal 66 wiht a bracket of wire 67 secured at one end of the base and a second bracket 68 secured to the base at the other end thereof. The second bracket has a loop portion 69 with a second loop portion 70 spaced therefrom. The end bracket 68 is made of wire as is the bracket 67. The end bracket 68 has a straight portion 71 secured to the base with the loop portion 69 formed integral therewith and with an upturned portion 72 engaging a bar portion 73 which is unitary with the loop portion 70. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 5, a tool having a head thereon may be inserted under the loop portion 69 and moved downwardly to engage the loop portion 70. The resilient bracket 68 would yield upon downward pressure on the handle of the wrench 74, and the bracket would be sulficiently distorted so that the body 75 of the wrench may be moved under the loop 76 of the bracket 67.

Referring to Fig. 6, a further modification shows an implement holder 80 having a base 81 with a bracket 82 secured to one end of the base, and a bracket 83 secured to the other end of the base. Each of the brackets 82 and 83 has a loop portion, 84 and 85 respectively. A center bracket 86 is formed of metal and has a notch 87 formed at the free end thereof. The bracket has a V-shaped portion 88 formed laterally in the strip metal thereof with an end portion 89 formed in the opposite end of the bracket 86 and bent so that it may be secured to the base by a screw or the like. The vertical portion of the center bracket 86 extends substantially at a right angle to the bracket end 89.

The showing in Fig. 6 may have the handle portion of the tool inserted from either end of the holder 80. After an implement or tool is placed under one of the loops, such as 84 or 85, and then is engaged in the notched portion 87 of the center bracket, downward pressure on the opposite end of the implement or tool will cause the bracket 86 to yield sufficiently to permit the free end portion of the implement or tool to .be inserted under the unused or remaining loop of the tool holder.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the implement holder may be for a single tool or may be used for a multiplicity of tools. Fundamentally, the implement holder provides means for engaging a tool at three separate points or zones of the implement or tool. In each instance, there are two end portions and a center portion for the implement holder. In all of the arrangements shown, there is a three-point contact between the implement holder and three complemental zones of the implement. In each case at least one of the three engaging portions of the implement holder is yieldable.

In Figs. 1 to 4 the implement or tool engaging portions of the device are fabricated from a single piece of material. The implement engaging portions of the devices shown in Figs. 4 to 6 may be laterally yieldable so that there may be a twisting action. For example, in Fig. 4, the end portion 52 may be so designed that the depth of the slot 54 is such that the tool may engage the notch portion of the slot 54 before the opposite end of the tool properly engages the notch portion 63 of the slot 51. Therefore, by this particular design, there would be a slight lateral tension in the end portion 52 which would be required in order to urge the tool handle properly within the notch portion 63 of the slot 51. By this means, when the tool 60 is properly located in the device as shown in Fig. 4, there would be friction upwardly in the notch 63 and a slight friction on one vertical surface portion of the notch 63, thereby increasing the frictional engagement of the tool within the tool holder due to the slight twisting of the end 52 because of the depth of the slot 54 relative to the particular location of the notch 63.

While several embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Various changes may also be made in the design and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as the same-will now be understood by those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for frictionally holding an implement in a predetermined position; comprising a base and implement engaging means formed of a unitary piece of metal, said last-mentioned means for engaging an implement in three discrete zones thereof and including a first bracket por tion having a C-shaped part resiliently projecting from one end of said base, said G-shaped part having opposite legs and an opening in one of said legs defined by a first edge surface for limiting movement of one zone of said implement and an opening in the other of said legs defined by a second edge surface for limiting movement of another zone of said implement, a second bracket portion resiliently projecting from an opposite end of said base, and said second bracket portion having an elongated slot therein and an opening to the slot from an outer edge of the second bracket portion, said elongated slot defined by a third edge surface for engaging the implement in a third zone.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second edge surfaces are similar in contour.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first, second and third edge surfaces are differently contoured to limit movement of said implement in different directions at said zones.

4. A device for frictionally holding a plurality of implements in a predetermined position; comprising a base and a plurality of sets of implement engaging means formed of a unitary piece of metal, each set for engaging an implement in three discrete zones thereof and including a first bracket portion having a C-shaped part resiliently projecting from one end of said base, said C-shaped part having opposite legs and an opening in one of said legs defined by a first edge surface for limiting movement of one zone of said implement and an opening in the other of said legs defined by a second edge surface for limiting movement of another zone of said implement, a second bracket portion resiliently projecting from an opposite end of said base, and said second bracket portion having an elongated slot therein and an opening to the slot from an outer edge of the second bracket portion, said elongated slot defined by a third edge surface for engaging the implement in a third zone, said first and second edge surfaces having a similar contour and said third edge surface having a contour difierent from said first and second edge surfaces to limit movement of said implement in a different direction from said first and second edge surfaces.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,287,641 Russell June 23, 1942 2,616,646 Matthysse Nov. 4, 1952 2,731,229 Seitz Jan. 17, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,093,584 France Nov. 24, 1954 

